1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device for modulating polarized light and can be used either as an amplitude modulator or a controlled filter.
2. Prior Art
For modulating light, a suggested device has electrode strips, which are arranged on an electro-optical crystal with their longitudinal axes coinciding with the direction of propagation of light in the crystal. This device works according to the principle of diffraction of the light to cause modulation. An example of this device is disclosed by M.A.R.P. DeBarros, M.G.F. Wilson and C. Eng, "High-Speed Electro-Optic Diffraction Modulator For Base Band Operation", Proceedings of I.E.E., Vol. 119, No. 7, July 1972, pages 807-814. This device permits high modulation velocities, but it exhibits a relative low modulation efficiency.